Otoscope



Ot. 31, W p CANNlNG OTOSCOPE Filed Feb. l1, 1942 WILLIAM P. CANNING INVENTOR ATT NEY Patented Oct. 31, 1944 OTOSCOPE William P. Canning, Southbridge, Mass., assignor n to American Optical Company, Southbridge, Mass., a voluntary association of Massachusetts Applianon February 11, 1942, serial No. 430,418

'7 Claims.

This invention pertains to improved light transmitting means in an otoscope, retinoscope, or similar devices for inspecting the human anatomy. Heretofore, devices of this kind employed a housing for an electric light bulb with a small mirror reflector in the rear of the bulb so that the light may be directed through an orifice in the housing through the opening in the smallv end of the speculum.

The present invention provides for a different type of reflecting means in that a substantially circular reilector with inclined sides may be used below or about the lower portion of the vglass bulb so that the light will be reflected upwardly against a substantially circular mirror with inclined sides with the upper mirror having the small opening therein to permit the reilected light to be directed through the opening in the housing toward the axis of the small end of. a speculum.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved means for bringing the line of sight more nearly in alignment with the line of light.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an otoscope, retinoscope, and the like having a mirror substantially the frustum of a cone in shape with a slot therein to permit light to be transmitted therethrough.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved instrument of the class described with a reflecting surface substantially above and below the light source so that a greater amount of light energy from the bulb will be reflected out of the housing and through the small opening in the speculum to provide a greater efciency of lighting of the part to be inspected.

It is another object of the invention to provide improved means for increasing the light transmitting eiciency of the device of the class described by reducing the shadow on the area under inspection.

Other objects may be and may become apparent to one skilled in the art from a perusal of the drawing and the specication, and it is to be understood that the disclosure herein is not to be considered as limitations since the present showing is by way of illustration only.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the upper reector adapted to t within the housing of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a development of the reflector shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a modification` of the light source and reflector of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along lines 5 5 of Fig. 4 showing the reflecting surface of the mirror being substantially shaped like the frusturn of a cone with an opening therethrough to permit the transmission of light'.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Fig. l, I5 is the upper portion of the otoscopehaving the goose neck 'I with a speculum holder 8 having a speculum 9 threadedly connected therein. l

A housing I is connected to the upper portion 6 of the speculum, with said housing having an opening therein and having a small tubular member II secured thereto in alignment with said opening. On said tubular member is secured a lens holder I2 having a lens I3 fitted therein.

Within the housing I0 is an electric bulb I4 having a base I5 connected into a socket I6. A conical reiiector Il has a central opening therein about the upper edge of the'socket I6 to receive the bulb base so that when the light bulb I4 has its larnent energized the light from the bulb I4 will be deflected upwardly against the set-in reflector I8. The light from both of the reflectors will be effectivelytransmitted through the slot I9 in the set-in reilector thence through the opening 26 in the member I I and thence through the speculum to be directed upon the anatomy portion to be inspected.

Because of the physical characteristics of the light bulb which has its lament spaced from the glass envelope of the bulb, it is not possible to get the direct light beam as nearly parallel with theline of sight 2| as is desirable. By using the reflecting method set forth herein, a great portion of the light between the reflectors II and I8 impinges the upper conical mirror I8 so that Suicient light may be transmitted above.

the physical center of the bub through the opening Z, to properly illuminate the portion of the anatomy under inspection. By this reflecting means, it will be seen that the line of light 22 and the line of sight 2| are more nearly parallel than would be the case if a reflector were positioned directly behind the lament of the light bulb and thence directed through an aperture in the housing IIJ.

It will therefore be seen by the method shown herein that the decreasing of the angle between the line of sight and the line of light 2l and 22 the conicalmirror I8 may be formed from a single piece of material having a mirrored surface on the inner side and set in the upper por-` tion of the housing so that the opposing ends of the portion I8 will be spaced from each other to form a slot I9 to permit the passage of thelight therethrough.

Fig. 4 is a modiiication of the view shown in Fig. 1 and has a, housing 23 which is connected to the upper portion of the speculum 24 by any convenient means. A lens tipped bulb 25 has a lament 26 located therein with the lens portion 21 of the bulb being on the upper portion thereof. The bulb base 28 is electrically connected in the socket 29, such as by screwing the bulb into its socket or base. The upper portion of the housing 23 has a lens holder 30 which is connected thereto by means of a tubular member 3l, which tubular member has anbpening therein to permit the light to pass from within the housing 23 outwardly through the opening 32 so that the light emanating therefrom may be directed through 'the speculum and onto the portion of the anatomy to be inspected.

The housing 23 has a cap 33 which has been machined by a suitable tool for obtaining the inclined sides '34 which form the mirror backing to act substantially in the same manner as the set-in mirror I8 shown in Fig. 1. 33 has been machined at the lproper side angle for the reflector, the cap is slotted at 35 by a milling machine or other suitable device. The cap 33, when properly mirrored, is then placed in the upper portion of the housing 23 with the slot 35 properly aligned with the opening 3'2 in the member 3|. The cap is also machined to t into the top of the housing 23 so that it .engages the shoulder 35.

The holes 3'! and 33, in the top of the housings in Figs. 1 and 4, may be drilled in the housing so that the upper side wall of the hole is substantially on a line with the inner surfaces 39 and 48 within the housing. By this means, the

light outlet, from within the housing, is as high with the opening 35 in the cap 33 with the side wall 34 which is suitably inclined for the greatest eiiciency with the particular light source used.

By utilizing the cap 33 as shown in Fig. 4, it is possible to get the effective light very close to the top of'the housing 23 soI that the lens in the lens holder 30 may be brought very close to the top of the housing 23. ln both Figs. l and 4, it will be seen that the line of sight and line of light are nearly parallel notwithstanding the fact that the light source per se has the lament thereof disposed an appreciable distance After the cap i from the axis of the line of light which emanates from the housing.

The reflectors in the present disclosure may be of any suitable material or may be mirrored by any conventional process. The actual reflecting surface used is immaterial so long as itis suincient to properly reflect the light. The major thought in the invention is the construction presented herewith having the feature of obtaining a resulting light beam that is nearly parallel with the line of sight.

The inner surfaces oi the members I8 and 311 respectively are of a shape simulating the frustum of the cone with the taper of the cone being so angled according to the direction of the light emanating from the respective light sources I4 and 25 so that a major portion of the light impinging upon said surfaceswill be directed through the respective apertures 3i and 38. It is to be understood that instead of forming the housings IIJ and 23 separately of the cone shaped reflectors or members I8 and 34 having mirrored surfaces thereon said mirrored surfaces may be formed on an integral part of the housings if desired. i

Having described my invention, I claim:

'1. In a device of the character described, a supporting member, a housing having an aperture .therein and a speculum carried by said supporting member, a sighting means substantially axially aligned with the speculum. a sighting support connected to said housing for supporting said sighting means, a light source within said housing, and a pair of reflectors each substantially the frusturn of a cone in shape being disposed above and below the light source with the bases of the cones disposed toward said light source, one of said reectors having an aperture therein aligned with the aperture in the housing through which light may be directed to the speculum.

2. In a device of the character described, a supporting member, a housing having an aperture therein and a speculum carried by said supporting member, a light source in said housing, a sighting means substantially axially aligned with the speculum, a tubular member connected to said housing in alignment with the aperture in said housing and supporting said sighting means, a light source within the housing, and reflector means having a reiiecting surface substantially the frustum of a cone in shape having an aperture therein with said reflector means being inserted in the upper portion of said housing with the aperture of said reflector means aligned with the aperture in the housing and with the base of the cone disposed toward the light source.

3. In a device of the character described, a supporting member, a housing having an aperture therein and a speculum carried by said supporting member, a light source in said housing, a sighting means substantially axially aligned with the speculuin, a tubular member connected to said housing in alignment with the aperture in said housing and supporting said sighting means, a conical reflector in the housing at the lower portion thereof adapted to direct the reflected light from the light source upwardly, and reflector means being substantially the frustum of a cone in shape having an aperture therein with the reflector portion of said reflector means being inserted in the upper portion of said housing with the aperture of said reflector means aligned with the aperture in the housing.

therein and a speculum carried by said supporting member, a cap member having an internal inclined side wall with a slot therein to align with the aperture in the housing, said cap member being substantially cylindrical in shape externally, and means for positioning said cap in said housing.

5. A device of the class described having a supporting member, a housing having an aperture therein and a speculum carried by said supporting member, and a cap member in thehousing, said cap member having an inclined light reflecting side Wall with a slot therein aligned With the aperture in the housing.

6. In a device of the character described, a supporting member having a housing with an opening therein on one end of said supporting member, a speculum having an observation opening therein, said speculum being secured adjacent the other end of the supporting member, a sighting means secured to said housing and being substantially axially aligned with the axis of the speculum, a light source within said housing, and

a conical reflector having an aperture therein secured in the upper portion of said housing with said aperture aligned with the opening in the housing, and a light source within said housing, said conical reflector having a reflecting surface so angled relative to the light source that a portion of said light emitted from said light source mayl be directed through said housing opening and the aperture in the conical reflector.

7 In a device of the character described a support, a speculum carried by said support, a housing on said support spaced from the speculum and having an opening in the side Wall thereof toward Vthe speculum, a light source in said housing and reflector means having a reflecting surface of the shape of a frustum of a cone and having an opening therein in substantial alignment With the opening in the housing and being so positioned relative to the light source as to reflect light from said light source through said aligned openings and toward the speculum.

WILLIAM P. CANNING. 

